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On October 3 2010, Germany made the final payment towards the reparations demanded in the 1919 Treaty of Versailles. Just short of a decade later ? and the country was still paying back a debt that perpetually commemorates the German defeat of World War One. Although this enormous reparation was deemed ‘destabilizing and impossible’ by British economist John Maynard Keynes as well as ‘overtly harsh and capable of starting another war’ by Lloyd George himself, it was actually the lack of severity and enforcement of the individual articles that led to the failure of the treaty’s purpose, which was to create peace. As A.J.P Taylor states in his book, The Origins of the Second World War; “the settlement had been too indecisive: it was harsh enough to be seen as punitive, without being crippling enough to prevent Germany regaining its big power status, and can thus be blamed for the rise of the Reich under Hitler within decades[1]”. Had the Treaty of Versailles been more resolute on Germany’s economic, militaristic and overall geographic dominance, future uprisings could have been avoided.Article 231 of the Treaty of Versailles states that Germany is to accept responsibility for all damage and loss to the Allies as a result of the war imposed upon them. Furthermore this article serves as a justification for the obligations put on Germany in Articles 233 through 247, which are concerned with reparations. David LloydGeorge commented that, "The Germans must above all acknowledge their obligation to compensate us…When this is done we come to the question of Germany's capacity to pay; we all think she will be unable to pay more than this document requires of her”. Regarding financial reparations, the treaty required of Germany 6.6 billion pounds, which seemed a crippling millstone at the time. However, Germany’s current economic state was misjudged. Both the Allies and the Central Powers had been weakened but surprisingly, after the war, Germany remained the strongest nation in Europe economically. Historian Martin Kitchen argues that the impression that these reparations crippled the country was a myth. Instead of a weak Germany, the reverse was true; that Germany was strong enough to win substantial concessions and a reduced reparation amount[2]. This claim is supported by German production statistics between 1913 and 1939. For example, immediately after the Treaty, German net coal exports were 15 million tons and by 1926 the tonnage exported reached 35 million. By 1927 steel output increased by 30% and iron output increased by 38% from 1913 within the pre-war borders[3]. Clearly German economy was strengthening enough to support another war. Thus, the Treaty of Versailles was flawed in that it annoyed the Germans yet did not render them too weak to retaliate.
Similarly, Part V of the Treaty, which deals with military restrictions, was not harsh enough to prevent Germany from rebuilding an army. Furthermore, the agreements in the document would later be appeased by Britain and France, thus canceling out any degree of effectiveness the Treaty would have on maintaining peace. that's not the treaty's fault The initial agreements in the document reduced the German army to 100,000 men, demilitarized the Rhineland, prohibited the import and export of weapons, restrained the navy and banned poison gas, armed aircrafts, tanks and armored cars. Although moderately restrictive, these terms allowed for too many opportunities for Germany to rearm and formulate a plan of attack and upheaval. After World War One, France’s population was at 31 million compared to Germany’s 62 million[4]. This meant that even with the vast reduction of soldiers, the German’s potential force still outnumbered France 2:1, putting France in a very vulnerable position, especially considering their own military loss of over 1.3 million soldiers during the Great War. Still, how would you equip, train, mobilise such a population in time of emergency? A unique, valid point though. Additionally, the Treaty did not prevent Germany from re-arming. In fact, German rearmament spending was seven times as much as the 2 billion marks-plus in reparations for the next 30 years in each year between 1933 and 1939[5]. The Treaty of Versailles was not harsh enough to prevent Germany from initiating another war, but merely gave the country time to recover and strengthen military tactics. Upon hearing the terms of the Treaty of Versailles that had left Germany considerably unharmed, George Clemenceau observed that, "This is not Peace. It is an Armistice for twenty years”.
One of the more significant consequences of the Treaty of Versailles was German territorial change. Disputed lands and cities were returned to various countries, most notably Alsace-Lorraine and the Polish Corridor, as well as a compromise with France for a demilitarized Rhineland and a surrender of colonies. In addition, Germany was forbidden from merging with Austria. In total, Germany lost over 10% of their previously owned European land. George Clemenceau suggested that in order to thoroughly cripple Germany and prevent another attack that the country was broken up in to a collection of smaller states. Unfortunately, Woodrow Wilson and Lloyd George who were protected by other barriers, decided against this proposition. Consequently, even though this article deprived Germany of land and caused much ethnic confusion, it left the country more unified than ever. The Treaty created a volatile alien system of democracy which, because of the constitution's flaws, allowed Germany to be torn apart by extremist political parties like the Nazis. Effectively, it put Germany in a situation it couldn't get out of, with unworkable political systems and economic and social problems just waiting to break into conflict.
In conclusion, the Treaty of Versailles was defective because instead of preventing future war, it made future war inevitable. Rather than being too harsh, it gave Germany reason for wanting revenge, without going so far as to crippling her and preventing this action. Economically, the Treaty caused Germany to pay back great reparations, however, it allowed her to remain a European superpower. Furthermore, Germany was able to quickly rebuild her economy and military. Therefore, the Treaty merely acted as a temporary obstacle rather than a permanent solution, thereby enabling Germany to recover from war and get stronger.
Taylor 1961,p. 47–55
Kitchen 2006, Europe Between the Wars, p.67
The Carthaginian Peace, The Economic Consequences of Mr Keynes, Oxford University Press, 1946
http://www.cusd.chico.k12.ca.us/~bsilva/projects/france/interwar/default.htm
The Carthaginian Peace, The Economic Consequences of Mr Keynes, Oxford University Press, 1946
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